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Super Bowl Weekend - Feb 1 - 4 at Main Street Station

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by mjames1229, Feb 5, 2020.

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  1. Gmoney10

    Gmoney10 Low-Roller

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    Loving the TR this year. Just got back yesterday from my trip to Super Bowl in Vegas. 8th year now doing Super Bowl in Vegas with my bro. Did the South Point party a couple years and liked it, but couldn’t
    get reception in the ballroom to check bets during the game.
     
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  2. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    Monday, February 3 @ 8:00 AM - Good morning, Las Vegas!

    upload_2020-2-9_20-5-16.png

    You would think that two guys that have lived in Wisconsin for a combined 115 years would be ready for a morning at 39F with a wind chill of 21F. We would have thought that, too. Before we left, we had seen the forecast of about 50 degrees and windy, so we each had grabbed a light jacket. The wind cut right through it. When the valet brought the car around, we struggled to get the heat on quickly enough to warm up the car. We shivered halfway to breakfast. This would be an issue each time we walked to or from the car.

    9:15 AM - Black Bear Diner again doesn't disappoint. I love their pancakes and spicy Italian sausage. While eating, Pat and I plan our day. See, with the wife, I've got The Matrix down to the half hour. With the poker guys, we're good at gathering consensus. Doing this with two people is a little rough.

    9:45 AM - I've cashed in lots and lots Super Bowl tickets and I've got a pocketful of bennies.

    upload_2020-2-9_20-52-26.png

    That's a lot of nickels, I think. Well, it IS a lot of nickels. I am not sure if I won anything or not.

    10:00 AM - I considered paying the tournament entry in nickels, but that slot machine gave me a white slip with a bar code. I guess the poker room doesn't want nickels. They shouldn't be too picky, as they have a new poker room expansion to pay for.

    upload_2020-2-9_21-21-26.png

    South Point 10:00 AM Monday tournament - 81 entries at $60 each. Start with 10K chips.

    Nothing exciting through L2, a couple of positional raises after the turn raked pots.​

    Mid L3 (100/200/BB200), big blind with Qc7c. Flop JcJd8c. Bet 1100, one caller. Turn Kc. I went all in for 7500, he called with a AJ. Now about 20K.​

    Then four rat-a-tat-tat hands in a row (I think I got these right as I typed it all after things settled down)...

    Called all in with JJ which held against 66.

    Had Kd10d, flop all hearts, bet big, one caller, turned a blank, river a Qh which made my straight, but someone else's flush.

    Called three way all in with Ks10s vs AJ and AJ (both short stacks). Flop two spades but no help after.

    Next hand KK, pre flop big raise, two callers. Flop all hearts, went all in, both folded.
    With three jams in four hands, after all that I was still at about 20K​

    Entered Card Dead phase. Near end of L5, I was to be big blind, but the dealer moved the button two spots and nobody caught it, so I was only small blind. My reward? 26 off suit.​

    Out when JJ shove lost to AQ when a Q flopped. Out in 28th out of 81.
    1:00 PM - As happened last year, I had a former supplier that was in town at the same time I was, and again he wanted to meet for lunch. Because Pat and I had both worked at the same company at one time, Pat knew him, too, but we told Tim it had to be at South Point. I sent Tim a text that we were done, and he texted back that he had a comp for the buffet. Pat was playing Pai Gow while I was still pokering, so I had told Pat to ask the pit for a buffet comp.

    1:15 PM - I found Pat and he said that he wasn't going to ask for one because he never gave his players card. I made sure to keep that conversation going, while the others at the tables told of how they've nicknamed him Kohler... because he's always got flushes. Finally the pit critter came over, and I asked if Pat would give his driver's license, could they check on a comp.

    1:20 PM - A few tap-tap-tappity-tap-taps later, the pit said that TWO buffets were on Pat's card! This is the same Pat whose wallet creeks when he opens it to buy into a non-poker game, and the 20s he pulls out are all Silver Certificates. Ol' Pat got a comp!!!!

    1:21 PM - Suddenly every other person at the table (except me... why should I use my comps?) asked for and received a buffet comp, and everyone left the table at once to go eat.

    1:30 PM - We meet up with Tim and he casually drops that he hit a $1 Royal on Super Bowl Sunday. We kinda did a "that's nice"... not that we didn't believe him, but sometimes when guys play the One Up game, you don't like to lose. From the Plaza's Facebook page... he wasn't lying.

    upload_2020-2-9_21-31-36.png


    2:15 PM - I've heard some sketchy things about the South Point buffet, but you know what? It's not bad. It doesn't try to be Wynn or Cosmo, but they have a Mongolian BBQ station in the Asain area, they happily grilled a fresh Reuben sandwich for me, and who doesn't like a raspberry gelato? Even their spinach salad was fresh and tight. I mean for what we paid for it, I'd rate it a very good value!

    3:15 PM - We fly back downtown as we've decided to hit the Golden Nugget for their tournament. We get checked in a little late, and we're seated at about the middle of Level 2.

    upload_2020-2-9_21-22-27.png

    Golden Nugget 3:00 PM Monday tournament - 33 entries at $50 each. Start with 5K chips.

    5th hand, blinds at 50/100 and I had JJ, 3 bet from 300 to 1200, one caller. Flop 792. I bet 1500, he called. Turn 2. I shoved, he snap called with 77. I don't think I've ever bounced in 5 hands before. Out in 29th.​

    2nd bullet - no flops, losing chips. 5000 starting isn't much when pre-flop raises go to 800 and flops are complete whiffs. Had AcQd, flop three clubs. Player went all in for his last 1100, had a small pair and I didn't improve. Down to 1200.

    After nothing through blinds, shoved blind for last 600. Done. I fired two bullets, and I didn't rake one pot. Not one. Not even a pre-flop bet that folds around. Nuthin'. Out in 25th place, too.
    4:00 PM - But I had a bunch of money burning a hole in my pockets, I headed to the California to put the fire out.

    5:00 PM - @Royal Flusher showed me they key to riches. Using this photo found on his blog...

    upload_2020-2-9_21-38-39.png

    I dumped a LOT of money on Double STP and Fuzzy Boy. The market correction was in full force. I mean... you don't see any of MY photos, do you?

    6:15 PM - I am willing Pat to be done playing poker. I don't want to give back all of my money, though it is heading that direction. I am trying all of my old favorite slots at both the Cal and MSS and nothing is paying.

    7:06 PM - I finally get the text from Pat. He cashed for a few hundred bucks. We decide to fly to a place he's never played before (and that I played a joke of a tournament once before). We're on our way to Sam's Town.

    upload_2020-2-9_21-48-53.png

    Sam's Town 7:00 PM Monday tournament - 76 entries at $60 + $10 add-on, Start with 10K + 5K for add-on.​

    Got there in L3, early I got QhTh, flopped Q with two hearts, called a 2000 bet, blanks turn and river, I bet 1000 was called and finally won a showdown.

    I hate AK. Lost 2800 when flop whiffed but I bought the river anyway.

    I take that back, AK works when you flop an A on a rainbow board. Got that 2800 back

    At L7, down to 10000, I started itching to get to the casino for Happy Fun Time. I shot 5 bullets at 4 tournaments this weekend, and although I hadn't played too poorly, I've had a whole lot of run bad and was starting to tilt. This time I shoved all-in in early position with As9s, one caller with 77. Flopped a 9 then runner/runner flush. Now 24500. Maybe I will play more poker.

    In L9 big blind, dealt AhQh, called an all in who showed AcQs. Free roll! Got flush on turn, now 43000

    L10 big blind, donked off 14000 3-betting the small blind with Q4 after hitting a 4 on a 247 board. He shoved, I folded. Now 34000.

    Table change and the two chip leaders at my table move to my new table, both to my left. Sigh...

    But it wasn't them. I shoved for 39500 with AhQh, was called by AcKc, I got no love from the board. Twice in four games my AQ (both hearts) lost to AK. Did I mention my hatred of AK? Out in 28th.
    10:30 PM - I mention to Pat my outtage and he hands me $1 so that I can get him a chip. I get a chip at each casino in which I gamble, Pat only gets chips from casinos in which he plays a poker tournament.

    11:00 PM - I don't get to a table, yet. The Gambler's Fallacy says (in effect) there is no such thing as "you're due to hit". Since it is a fallacy, I don't believe it and I hit the slot floor. Along the way, I get this. It isn't much, but it is one of the bigger hits of the day.

    upload_2020-2-9_21-51-46.png
    I'd never hit a Wild/WIld/bonus dots thing on one of these Tarzaney machines, so that's kind of cool. Not too sure how long Pat will be, I cash out and go to the craps table. Monday evening on the Boulder Highway, not a problem finding a $5 table.

    Tuesday, February 4 @ 12:15 AM - My mind is a funny thing... Before my last poker trip, I had sworn off slots so much so that for the first day, I told the guys not to even let me play them. On this trip, it was all-consuming until now. But the craps table was a blast (despite hovering around the -$100 mark for quite a while). To my left were a couple of late-50s women who said that their flight to Hawai'i that day had been cancelled and that their new flight was leaving at 6:00 AM. They didn't know when to go to bed, so they played craps instead, but they were also drinking and were already in really rough shape. The tall blonde didn't look Hawai'ian, so when she got the dice, I called her Miss Hawai'i 1999. She blushed, called it sweet, and said the was actually a businesswoman, "Really a CFO", and that her name was Cindy. In short order, the table named her CFO Cindy Shooter. I never did ask how she ended up in Hawai'i. I think in hindsight, I am more curious about that than if she actually managed to get on a plane 5 hours later.

    12:40 AM - Still playing craps, and running low on chips, when Wheezy starts a big run. This scrawny millennial to my right joins the table and starts betting hard. His buddies called him Wheezy and were on the other end of the table, so with a couple of Apple Crown Royals in me, I get on the Wheezy bandwagon. He shoots well enough to get me back to even (though I go back under on my shoot).

    1:09 AM - Pat gets knocked out in 9th place. He'd played almost six hours and cashed for $188... only a $118 profit. On one hand, that's a lot of work to triple your money. On the other hand, he won a LOT more than I did in six hours.

    1:35 AM - Its still cold outside. I drop Pat off at the Fremont and head to the Main Street Station valet. The valet is nowhere to be found, so I put the keys on the dash, close the door, and step in the MSS hallway (to stay warm) until I see him run out. I meet him and get my slip, and he goes to move the car right away. Except the keys are locked inside. I never consciously locked the door, but I guess I must have. However, on my car back home, the horns and lights go off if you try to lock your keys inside. As a matter of fact, my car won't lock the doors in that scenario. I am frustrated with myself (not only for the stupidity, but because now I've got a time and expense to fix this). But the valet is a little too nasty to me about how my car is "cluttering up his parking lot" despite the fact that its not.

    1:50 AM - Triple A shows up and with some gizmo and a pump gets the door open. Tell me if I'm wrong, but in 2020, you'd think the technology exists (especially with rental cars) the door locks could have been popped remotely by the fine folks at the Alamo call center. Instead, Alamo will tack $58 onto my bill. But at least now the dickhead can move my car so its not "cluttering up his parking lot".

    2:05 AM - You'd think I'd be going to bed. You'd be wrong. TILT, TILT, TILT!!!!!

    upload_2020-2-9_22-11-14.png

    I've played about 26 hours of slots and video poker today, and this is only the third photo.

    3:05 AM - I finish the $138.75 that's in the meter and call it a day. But I am not done yet... let's keep going.

    3:18 AM - I text my wife, as she is already up for the morning. I took a severe beat down the last 24 hours, but just as she starts asking how things were going, I reply "Yawn, gotta go to sleep. Love ya! Bye!" I love this shit!

    7:00 AM - My alarm goes off as I told Pat to meet me at 7:30. I only hit snooze twice, then realize I have about 8 minutes to shower, pack and meet him. You know, if I don't lock the keys in the car, there is a chance I get to bed by 1:30. Not a very good one, mind, but a chance.

    8:30 AM - You can never go wrong with a breakfast at Mr. Mama's. This time, Mr. Mama himself came to greet us. Pat was almost giddy, as he loves the place as it reminds him of a Milwaukee tradition, George Webb's restaurant. I think its great that the owner makes time to glad-hand his customers and welcome and thank them. It costs absolutely nothing to extend a hand and a smile. THAT is part of why we go out of our way to get to Mr. Mama's on every trip.

    upload_2020-2-9_22-18-48.png

    9:30 AM - Gas, rental car return, rental bus, TSA, walk to the terminal. Because that's how travel day works.

    10:00 AM - Our flight was to leave at 10:30, but I took the time to drop a few bucks in video poker. Because we had assigned seats for Frontier, I didn't need to haul ass, but it was about time to board. As I walk past, I hear a familiar voice... my bowling buddy Glenn (who I knew was in Vegas, but I hadn't run into him and didn't know he was on the same flight) called and asked if he knew if we were boarding, because...

    upload_2020-2-9_22-24-8.png
    Mr. One Up II hit for $1600 in the airport. Fucker.

    I mean, I was happy that someone finally took money out of the airport, but sad that it wasn't me. He was concerned about missing the plane for the handpay.

    10:20 AM - Luckily, our flight was slightly delayed, which was a good thing as the airport people (a sign they don't do this much) brought the wrong amount... they were $16 short. Since they only brought the incorrect exact amount of money, they had to re-do everything because they also had the wrong amount on the W2G. Turns out it wasn't a problem and we left around 11:10 AM.

    10,001 ft - Another movie that I had downloaded was Midnight Cowboy. It was another movie that I'd never seen, and frankly I only knew three things about it...
    1. It won the Oscar for best picture
    2. It was originally rated X
    3. Rated X movies aren't always a good idea on an airplane.
    Turns out, it was pretty tame by today's standards. There was only one scene where I kind of turned the screen away. Just remind me never to take a bus to Florida.

    Thus concludes Las Vegas Trip #(I need to recount, I am not sure). Despite a hand pay two hours off the airplane, and hitting slots for about $500 during halftime of the Super Bowl, and crushing the Vegas book, I had such a diabolical Monday that I lost $103 on the trip. Considering the entire flight cost $118 RT, and the hotel was free.... I had a hell of a weekend for a couple hundred bucks.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2020
    USBC Nationals are back in Vegas
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  3. booker

    booker VIP Whale

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    I truly enjoy your TRs, heavy on poker and details, AND they're well formatted. Thanks.
     
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  4. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    Yeah, I really had to stretch to make the poker stories interesting with this one. The fields were so big that they were hard to navigate. I really thought I was on to something at Sam's Town, and I don't hate my shove there. I thought I had plenty of chips to scare people off. Frankly, if I had position and AK, I don't know if I would call a 40K shove there.
     
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  5. Gmoney10

    Gmoney10 Low-Roller

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    Nice trip report and thanks for sharing your stories. Maybe we’ll bump into each other next year for Super Bowl!
     
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  6. news423

    news423 No Respect

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    I like reading live and semi live TRs, but really enjoyed this version so much I may consider a similar format after this week’s trip.

    All things considered, and all the action you were playing, I’d consider down just about $100 a moral victory. Nice work, and thanks for taking us on your journey.
     
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  7. kkinwi

    kkinwi VIP Whale

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    Enjoyed your many details! I laughed about the cold weather story.....when I was there last November a cold front moved in and I thought the same thing "I'm from WI, how bad can it be?" With the wind, it made for a crap couple of days, as I like to be out walking.
    Sounds like a fun trip with your buddy!
     
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  8. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Nice report!!! Great pull on buffalo diamond!
     
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  9. Kobra2848

    Kobra2848 VIP Whale

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    Nice report and sucks about the rough last day.

    Mark
     
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  10. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    I week removed, it wasn't so bad... I mean, I was playing on "Vegas Money". On one hand, if I don't crush the buffalo on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, I don't play so hard on Monday. I take a nap, I play more Pai Gow, etc.

    But it really did suck to blow well over a grand in one day. Got frustrating at the time.
     
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  11. zerofan

    zerofan VIP Whale

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    Love your TR's MJ and this one did not disappoint.
     
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  12. marksind

    marksind VIP Whale

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    Great report! How do you know about these off-the-beaten-path restaurants?
     
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  13. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    Frankly... VMB!

    Both of these threads list local breakfasts. Mr. Mama's is on both of them.

    I also follow Vegas people on Twitter. Marc Meltzer recently went to Cinnamon's. I checked the menu and it instantly went on the list for our June trip.

    upload_2020-2-10_12-17-48.png
     
    USBC Nationals are back in Vegas
  14. MattyVTX

    MattyVTX Low-Roller

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    Fantastic TR.
     
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  15. casinokid68

    casinokid68 Caesars Diamond Member

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    Fantastic trip report as always mjames!! Always look forward to reading your reports, they are so well written and fun.
     
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  16. gebruiker

    gebruiker High-Roller

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    Great tr, thank you
     
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  17. drew6112

    drew6112 Tourist

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    Nice report. I'll buy next time.
     
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  18. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    And I will accept next time!

    (When is next time? I need to start planning that trip!)
     
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  19. mjames1229

    mjames1229 # of visits includes only trips w/ hotel stays

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    Well, it appears that I shouldn't have fucked bowling so early. We missed winning the City Championship by 9 stinking pins. Sigh...

    [​IMG]
     
    USBC Nationals are back in Vegas
  20. AlPal

    AlPal Vegas Addict

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    Nice TR!
     
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